A Review of the 2014 Gulf of Mexico Wave Glider® Field Program

Abstract

Sustained observations of oceanographic and atmospheric boundary layer conditions are imperative for the investigation of tropical cyclone genesis, for numerical model input to predict track and intensity, and in general, for many environmental monitoring needs. We present preliminary results of a Fall 2014 100-day deployment of Wave Glider platforms in the eastern Gulf of Mexico designed to dynamically collect surface weather, water temperature, wave, and ocean current profile data within tropical cyclones. Data were collected and retransmitted near real time through a Liquid Robotics interface to regional and national data portals such as the National Data Buoy Center, and secondarily also used by the private sector. Accomplishments include buoy loitering for validation exercises, data gap filling, platform redeployments, and an interception of the fringes of Tropical Storm Hanna. Preliminary buoy loitering assessments using bias and absolute error metrics showed reasonable agreement with buoys for atmospheric pressure, wave, and height-adjusted wind data but that the temperature hardware requires an improved sensor. A full assessment of the potential for the sustained collection and real-time dissemination of environmental data for Wave Glider platforms is presented including lessons learned.

Results of the first Wave Glider experiment in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea

“…Pulses were averaged into ensembles at a time interval of 120 seconds and corrected for the motion of the vehicle. The ensemble averaging reduces random errors and bias as suggested by Fitzpatrick et al (2014) and previously detailed in Teledyne (2011). The motion correction was done by estimating the velocity of the vehicle during each ensemble, using the GPS coordinates recorded at the beginning and end of each ensemble period.…”

“…Data referring to periods when the WG was out of the water, identified through negative CTD pressure values (indicative of depth), were eliminated. Before being processed, all the measurements contained in these subsets were averaged in ten minutes ensembles (Fitzpatrick et al, 2014). A comparison with the full resolution datasets was performed to avoid any lack of information.…”

Sustained Measurements of Southern Ocean Air-Sea Coupling from a Wave Glider Autonomous Surface Vehicle

“…The recent successes of Lenain and Melville (2014), Farrar et al 2015, Fitzpatrick et al (2015), and Mitarai and McWilliams (2016) demonstrate that the Wave Glider can operate and collect data continuously under full ocean conditions, even in tropical cyclones. Our Wave Glider, SV3-153, included the standard met-ocean (METOC) package offered by Liquid Robotics Inc., as used in these previous studies.…”

Design and validation of an unmanned surface vehicle simulation model

“…They are analogous to airborne unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and subaquatic unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) [1]. USVs have been widely used to conduct scientific research in the fields of oceanography [2] and meteorology [3] and have their applications in the oil and gas industry also. Within the Defence sector, USVs are currently being developed for several roles including anti-submarine warfare and minesweeping.…”